Building your ultimate squad in MLB The Show is one of the MLB The Show 25 Stubs most exciting parts of the game. Whether you’re competing online in Diamond Dynasty or just playing Franchise mode, crafting the perfect team with the best hitters, pitchers, and fielders is a rewarding challenge. But what if, instead of painstakingly drafting players yourself, you let MLB The Show create your “best” team for you? Would the game’s algorithm make the best choices? Would the roster be balanced and competitive? Or would it fall short in key areas?

I recently decided to experiment with this idea and let MLB The Show 25 do the work of creating my “best” team automatically. The results were fascinating, and I learned a lot about the game’s player ratings, roster-building logic, and how different player attributes affect overall team performance.

Here’s a full breakdown of what happened, what worked, and what surprised me about letting MLB The Show build my team.

The Setup: How I Let MLB The Show Build My Team
MLB The Show offers a variety of ways to manage your roster — from manually signing and trading players to relying on the game’s AI to make decisions. For this experiment, I chose to let the game auto-select players for my Diamond Dynasty squad based on overall ratings, stats, and position eligibility.

The game’s “Create Best Team” or “Auto Draft” feature scans through all available players, including legends, current MLB stars, and emerging rookies. It automatically drafts the highest-rated players at each position to maximize overall team rating.

The question: would this method create a balanced team with both offensive firepower and solid defense, or would it simply pick a bunch of superstars without regard for chemistry and lineup flow?

The Roster MLB The Show Picked
After running the auto draft, here’s a snapshot of the key players the game selected:

Starting Pitchers: The game chose elite aces with high velocity and great control, including a couple of Cy Young-caliber pitchers. It clearly prioritized high strikeout rates and stamina.

Relief Pitchers: The bullpen featured fireballers and situational specialists, though the depth beyond the top three relievers was a bit thin.

Catchers: The AI selected catchers with great defensive stats and good contact hitting. It avoided catchers with poor batting ratings.

Infielders and Outfielders: The roster was packed with players who have excellent contact, power, and speed stats. The AI favored 5-star fielders who could cover ground and avoid errors.

What Worked Well
1. Star Power and Offensive Firepower
The biggest strength of the auto-built team was pure star power. The lineup was stacked with players boasting elite hitting ratings — from power hitters with 90+ power to contact hitters with high vision and discipline. This made the batting order intimidating for any opposing pitcher, with threats up and down the lineup.

2. Strong Starting Rotation
Pitching-wise, the AI nailed the starting rotation by focusing on pitchers with high velocity, good control, and strong secondary pitches. This gave the team a dominant edge in early innings, helping to keep opponents off balance.

3. Defensive Excellence
MLB The Show also prioritized fielding ability, picking outfielders and infielders with great range, arm strength, and fielding ratings. This translated to fewer errors and more defensive plays, which is crucial in tight games.

What Surprised Me
1. Lack of Team Chemistry Considerations
While the team was loaded with top-rated players, there was little thought given to team chemistry. The players came from all different MLB teams and eras, so there was no cohesion or synergy between players who might have real-world experience playing together.

This lack of chemistry sometimes showed up in clutch moments, where players with high ratings still failed to come through consistently. It reinforced how important lineup flow and player roles are beyond just raw stats.

2. Lineup Balance Was Off
The AI occasionally stacked too many power hitters in a row without mixing in contact or speed threats. This made the lineup somewhat predictable, especially to savvy online opponents who adjusted their pitching accordingly.

Similarly, the team sometimes lacked a true leadoff hitter — a player with high on-base skills and speed to set the table.

3. Bench Depth Was Weak
While the starting lineup was solid, the bench and bullpen depth left something to be desired. The auto draft prioritized top starters but didn’t optimize for reliable backups or situational players, which could become an issue in longer Franchise seasons or online tournaments.

Lessons Learned from Letting the Game Decide
Don’t Rely Solely on Ratings
MLB The Show’s ratings are helpful but don’t tell the full story. For example, a player with great hitting power but poor plate discipline might strike out frequently, which ratings alone don’t capture well. Similarly, defense ratings don’t always translate perfectly to in-game fielding success.

Customization Is Key
While letting the game auto-build a team is a fun experiment, the best teams require player customization and management. This includes setting batting order, pinch hitters, pitching matchups, and even individual player tendencies.

Use Auto-Draft as a Starting Point
One useful takeaway is to use the auto-draft as a starting point or baseline. From there, you can tweak the roster by adding your favorite players, balancing lineup roles, and improving bench and bullpen depth.

Tips for Building Your Own Ultimate Team
If you want to build your own “best” team in MLB The Show 25, here are some tips I learned from the experiment:

Balance Your Lineup: Mix power hitters, contact hitters, and speedsters to keep pitchers guessing.

Prioritize On-Base Skills: Having players who get on base frequently helps set up run-scoring opportunities.

Build a Strong Bullpen: Don’t overlook relief pitchers — a good bullpen can save many games.

Optimize Defensive Positions: Fielding ratings matter a lot; avoid players who make frequent errors.

Consider Player Tendencies: Pay attention to how players perform in clutch situations or against different pitch types.

Use Training and XP Wisely: Upgrade key players through training to maximize their potential.

Final Thoughts
Letting MLB The Show 25 create my “best” team was a revealing experience. While the AI did a good job picking high-rated players and building a solid core, the lack of nuanced management and team chemistry prevented the team from feeling truly elite.

The experiment reinforced how important the human element is in roster building — knowing your players, setting the right lineup, and making in-game decisions. The best team isn’t just the one with the highest overall ratings, but the one that fits your playstyle and strategy.

Whether you decide to rely on auto drafts or handpick every player, understanding how MLB The Show evaluates talent and builds rosters gives you a big advantage. Use the AI’s suggestions as a tool, but don’t be afraid to make your own decisions — that’s where the real fun buy MLB The Show 25 Stubs and skill in MLB The Show 25 comes from.